The Mysteries of Ancient Peru: The Incredible Road of the Incas

03. 07. 2020
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The largest state of the New World, the state of the Incas, existed for over three hundred years. But the period of Empire, when the Incas subordinated nearly the entire western part of the South American continent, lasted a little less, about eighty years.

In such a short period, the Incas and the peoples subjugated by them created a vast amount of unique material values. It seems unbelievable that literally out of nowhere, scattered tribes, became one of the greatest realms of the past, stretching like a narrow ribbon along the east coast of South America for four thousand kilometers, from the Pacific coast to the Andean plateau at an altitude of four thousand meters.

The Incas, although they knew neither the wheel nor the iron at the time, were building gigantic buildings. They created luxury art objects, the finest fabrics, leaving behind a lot of gold jewelry. They harvested in mountainous areas, where nature has always been hostile to farmers.

Most of the Inca link, as well as the ones themselves, were destroyed by the Spaniards. But monumental architectural monuments have not completely destroyed. The examples of their ancient architecture, which have been preserved, not only inspire enthusiasm, but also put a number of virtually insoluble questions before researchers.

Inca Road

The second southern expedition of the conquerors, led by Francisco Pizarro to the depths of the unexplored continent, was very successful for the Spaniards. After a long march through the wild jungle in search of new prey, a large stone town appeared in front of him in early 1528 with beautiful palaces and temples, extensive harbors and richly dressed inhabitants.

It was one of the Inca cities of Tumbes. The conquerors in particular were amazed by the wide, cobbled paths that stretched everywhere among the maintained fields.

The territory inhabited by the sons of the Sun, as the Incas called themselves, consisted of four parts, which became the basis for both the administrative division of the state and its official name Tawantinsuyu (Kuchuan Tahuantinsuyo, noteworthy), which meant "four interlocking world parties".

 

These four provinces were interconnected and all together with the capital Cuzco by road systems. The spaces interwoven with Inca roads were truly unfathomable. They had about one million km2. For the sake of this, it is the territory of contemporary Peru, a large part of Colombia and Ecuador, almost all of Bolivia, the northern regions of Chile and the northwestern region of Argentina. Approximately thirty thousand kilometers is the total length of the Tawantinsuyu routes, which are still preserved.

Fundamentals of road network

The basis of the road network of the sons of the Sun was formed by two dominant highways. The elders called Tupa Nyan or the Royal Route. It began in Colombia, crossed the Andes, passed through Cuzco, circled Lake Titicaca at an altitude of almost four thousand meters, and headed inland Chile.

In the work of the 16th century historian Pedro Cieza de León, we can read the following about this journey: rock rubble and a region of menacing abysses ”.

Another chronicler of the period wrote: "… none of the most remarkable buildings in the world, as told by ancient authors, were built with as much effort and expense as these roads."

The second main artery of the empire, which was the one on which Cusco's first troop troops were heading, ran along the coastal valleys for a distance of four thousand kilometers. It began at the northernmost port city of Tumbes, crossing the semi-desert territory of Costa, it ran along the Pacific coast to Chile, where it connected with the Royal Route.

This motorway was named Huayna Capac-Nyan in honor of the highest Inca, who completed its construction shortly before the conquista, conquering the country of Tawantinsuyu "Enlightened Europeans".

Tupa Nyan

The main artery of the Inca empire was Tupa Nyan, connecting the north and south mountains of the Empire, was considered to be the longest road of the world at the beginning of our century. If we placed it on the European continent, it would cross it from the Atlantic to Siberia. These two main trains were interconnected by a network of side roads, but only the remains of eleven of them were found.

Most notable is that the majestic road was designed exclusively for pedestrians and the cost of animals weighed. Unique highways were built by Incas who did not know the bike and used relatively small animals like lamas or wagons to transport.

The only means of transport was hand stretchers, to which only the Supreme Inca, members of the royal family, and also some important nobles and officials were entitled. The llamas were intended exclusively for the transport of goods.

The "zero kilometer" of all the ancient Peruvian roads was located in Cuzco, the "Rome" of the Incas, in its central sacred square. This symbol of the center of the earth, called Capak usno, was a stone slab on which the highest Inca sat during the most important religious ceremonies.

The deliberate destruction of roads and bridges was unconditionally interpreted by Inca law as hostile action, a grave offense deserving of the harshest punishment. Irrevocable was the so-called mita, a duty of work, where each subject of the empire had to work ninety days in one year on state buildings. First of all on the construction of roads, streets and bridges. At that time, the state fully took care of the food, clothing and accommodation of recruited workers, who were often forced to work this duty far from home.

They did not stop before the mountain ridges

The impressive achievements of the Incas in the construction of the roads can be explained by the pedantic, virtually fanatical fulfillment of all duties and by the well-established state mechanism. Although they built the paths using the most primitive tools, the perfect organization of work predetermined the "road wonder" created by the sons of the Sun. The Tawantinsuyu haulers did not stop in front of the mountain ridges, the muddy mud or the hot deserts. They have always found the optimal technical solution.

At the dizzying height of the gigantic peaks (at Mount Salcantay, the Huayna Capac road reaches the mark of 5150 meters above sea level), a steep, long descent was expected. In the middle of the wetlands, ancient Peruvian engineers raised their path by piling up dams.

In the sands of the coastal deserts, the Incas lined their paths on both sides with stone meter curbs that protected the path from sand deposits. They helped the military maintain a formation. A medieval chronicle informs us about what the Inca road looked like in the valleys:

"… On either side of it, the wall was higher than its normal height, the whole area was clean and lay under trees planted in a row, whose branches full of fruit bent over the road on many sides."

People who traveled on the roads of the Tawantinsuyu Empire could relax, eat and spend the night at tambo stations. They were twenty-five kilometers apart. There were rooms, stables and warehouses with supplies. The inhabitants of the nearest villages-ayllu took care of their content and supply.

Secret underground corridor

The sons of the Sun were also able to build underground roads. A secret underground passage connecting the capital with the Muyuq Mark Fortress serves as evidence. It was located in the mountains above Cuzco and was, in a way, the main military staff of the head of state.

This underground winding path consisted of several corridors, resembling intricate labyrinths. Such a complex and unusual building was built in case of an enemy invasion. At the slightest threat, the rulers of Tawantinsuy, together with the treasury, got into the inaccessible fortress without any obstacles. The enemies, although they managed to penetrate the tunnel, probably split up, lost their way and wandered hopelessly. The exact route in the labyrinth was the strictest secret and only the highest rulers knew it.

The iconic roads played a role in the life of the Incas, corresponding to their fanatical piety. Each such ceremonial journey had its own architectural uniqueness. Capacocha, the "coronation route", led to the outskirts of Cuzco, Mount Chukicancha.

At her top, two hundred carefully selected children were brought, without a single spot or sign. The prince touched the clean skin of the children several times, and then he could rule the empire. Children, drugged narcotics, were brought as sacrifices to the gods.

The secret cult journeys of the sons of the Sun are also interesting. For example, the tunnel to the underground caves, carved in the rocks near the royal baths (Tampu Mach'ay, the transcription Tambomachay is also used. transl.), dedicated to the cult of Jaguar. For the duration of the sacred ritual, mummies of important Incas were exhibited along the walls of the tunnel, and the Supreme Inca himself sat on a two-meter throne of monolith inside him.

The inclination of the Incas to the underground corridors can be explained not only by military strategic thinking, but also by the confession of the ancient Persian population. According to legend, the first Inca, the founder of the great dynasty, and his wife crossed the Bolivian lake of Titicaca to the site of the future Cuzco just underground.

Highly developed civilization

Traces of the highly developed Tiwanaku civilization have been found in the area of ​​this largest lake in Latin America. There were about twenty thousand villages in an area of ​​five hundred thousand square kilometers, connected by interconnected roads. They ran from the capital among the cultivated fields.

Aerial photographs revealed two thousand-year-old roads. They caught stone roads up to ten kilometers long, probably leading to a highway that described a lake.

All of these are convincing arguments, suggesting the hypothesis that the great civilization of the Incas did not emerge suddenly. The builders of the Tawantinsuyu empire have learned from their predecessors, cultural leaders Moche, Parakas, Nasko, Tiwanaku, who have created this beautiful road network.

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